


OFF Color

by Anrisa Ryn (Anrisa)



Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: Gen, OFF AU, OFF Post-game AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-21
Updated: 2013-09-21
Packaged: 2017-12-20 22:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 14,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/892631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anrisa/pseuds/Anrisa%20Ryn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Batter wakes up after shutting the world OFF and finds he's made a horrible mistake. Now he has to go back and correct everything he's done, facing a brand new set of enemies and a whole new set of obstacles.</p><p>For non-fanfiction works by this author, be sure to visit the <a href="http://anrisa.deviantart.com/">author's dA</a> and the <a href="http://www.movellas.com/en/people/profile/201208070115459726/viewMovellas">author's Movellas</a>.</p><p>Also check out the <a href="http://anrisaryn.tumblr.com/">author's tumblr</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/author.anrisaryn">facebook page</a>!</p><p>This work is also available to read on <a href="http://offcolorfic.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

         The Batter was dead. He was sure of it. There was darkness all around, as if someone had turned OFF the entire world.  
          _Wait a second,_  he thought.  _That was me. What have I done?_  He sat up, but he may as well not have. He couldn’t even see his fingers in front of him. His hands were empty, he noticed, and suddenly he was filled with panic.  
          _Where is my bat?_  
         He felt around on what seemed like a cold linoleum floor. He could feel the edges of the tiles; they seemed to be about one square foot in size. But no bat was nearby.  
         Fear, genuine fear, raced through him. Fear? Why fear? He had fought hundreds of specters before without even blinking. Why was the loss of his bat filling him with something this strong?  
         Suddenly, the realization came over his and he was forced to sit back down in shock.  
         His controller was gone.  
         The human on the other end, the one that lead him along in this world, the being that had begun his quest, was gone. He was truely alone for the first time in his life.  
         His wife and child were dead, his controller was gone, he had no bat, and he couldn’t see a thing. Not even his add-ons were there; their dim light might have at least given him something.  
         But no one was there. Nothing but darkness.  
         “I have made a grave mistake,” he said, putting his hand on his forehead. Realizing that sitting here would do nothing, he began crawling, feeling the floor for any sign of familiarity.  
         The tiles seemed to go on forever. Just as he was about to give up, he reached a wall. Instinctively, he groped the wall, trying to find a light switch. There was none, not even the one he had shut OFF just minutes before.  
         Was it minutes? For all he knew it could have been years.  
         A small switch, much smaller than the one he had turned everything OFF with, seemingly materialized beneath his fingers. He started, nearly falling backwards, but after recovering, he flipped it up.  
         The entire world exploded with light. He cried out and covered his face, his ball cap falling to the floor behind him.  
         As his eyes adjusted, he opened the slowly. The room was small, but very colorful. This was a strange occurance, as most of his experience lacked the sense of color. The walls were splashed with paint as if a child had gotten angry and thrown buckets of paint on the walls. He stood up and picked up his cap, slipping it on carefully.  
         He looked around for his bat, but he didn’t see anything else in the room. Just the colors on the wall, which gave him a headache. He examined himself, and found his outfit was the same as before - a striped baseball uniform and cleats. Nothing new. That was at least good.  
         There was a door on the other side of the room, flat against the wall, and also covered in paint splotches. He grimaced, thinking something lay beyond that door he may not like, but there was no use sitting in this strange room. Maybe beyond the door was his bat. Or maybe a specter.  
         Or maybe something worse.


	2. Chapter 2

         The hall was shockingly orange with a blue ceiling and a yellow floor. It was as if someone had come through and drenched the world in color. Before, his own skin was paper white; now it was a light tan, and his hat that was once pure black was now a dark shade of blue. The black stripes that ran down his uniform short were now a plain red. At least his pants were still white.  
         The change was more than a shock. Having lived his whole life in monochrome shades of about three different colors, he wasn’t even sure how to deal with this. As he walked down the hallway, the colors became less intense, and patterns began to form on the wall seemingly by themselves. Pictures of flowers made of yellow and green, blue and purple, began to dance on the walls. The colors were alive, and quite literally.  
         The fear the Batter felt just minutes before eased a little, but he was still just as alone as before, and he still had no weapon. Could he even be called the Batter without a bat? He frowned, but kept walking in silence.  
         Many questions came into his mind. Where was Hugo? Why had he, the creation, survived, and not the creator? How was he even here if the controller was gone, too? Was he even real? His head spun, and he had to pause for a moment to take in all these questions.  
         “Find the Judge,” he said to himself. “The Judge always knows.”  
Finding the Judge wasn’t as easy as he had hoped. The hallway went on forever, the colors changing every second. No turns or doors existed. He was beginning to worry it would never end when a multicolored door came into view at the far end.  
Hope renewed, he raced towards it. The knock didn’t turn at first, but after he played with it a bit, it swung open silently.  
         “Well, it’s about time,” a familiar voice greeted him. The Judge sat just a few feet away from the door, his back to the Batter, staring into the distance.  
The world outside had changed as well. There was grass, which was a new sight for the Batter. It was green and blue, and made noise when he stepped on it. The sky was a light blue with a few clouds floating by. A large glowing orb created light and warmth, something the Batter had never seen before either.  
         “It’s called a sun,” the Judge said, not looking at the Batter.  
         “Why is everything with color?” the man asked.  
The cat turned to him slowly. “Many things have changed since you turned the world OFF.”  
         “Was I in the darkness that long?”  
         “I would have to say it was about two years? I am not sure. But after you turned it OFF, the Elsen liked it for a while. There was nothing strange to scare them anymore. But soon, they began to get sick. There was nothing to do. Nature discovered the barren land and began to take over, creating color where there was none. The Elsen saw this and they began to love the color. But something went terribly wrong.”  
         “What went wrong? Color doesn’t seem that bad,” the Batter admitted. He hadn’t liked it at first, but it seemed natural now.  
         “The Elsen know nothing about anything. They are children. So they are easily taken over, which is just what happened. A man named Portu found the zones and saw the Elsen. He convinced them he could keep them safe from the strange new colors, saying that some were more dangerous. The Elsen, not knowing better, followed him without question.”  
         “So now the Elsen are ruled by someone again,” the man reasoned.  
         “While they do need guidance, they need someone that will not take advantage of them,” the cat replied. “You must fix this.”  
         “Why?”  
         “It is your fault for shutting OFF the world, therefore you must fix this.”  
“I don’t even have a weapon.”  
         “Your old bat would not have helped you anyway. That only works against specters.”  
         “And there are no specters in the world now?”  
         “There are just colors now.”  
         “How do you fight colors?” The Batter frowned.  
         “With a new bat, of course,” the Judge said matter-of-factly.   
         “And where do I get this new bat?”  
         “Ask Zacharie. He knows these things.”  
         “Right,” the Batter grumbled, and went off to search for the strange shopkeeper.


	3. Chapter 3

         Zacharie was thankfully in the same place the Batter had left him - his shop. It was as if the strange man never left his shop. But the Zone was completely turned around, so it was a bit tricky.  
         Based on the structures, the Batter guessed he was in Zone Two. There were plastic rivers all over the place, and as he headed south, he entered what seemed to be the Residential Area. Elsen milled about, seemingly on their free time, so he pushed past them to a familiar door.  
         “It’s about time,” the shopkeep said. His face was covered in his familiar 3-shaped smile mask. “Isn’t it strange how I’m always ahead of you? Well, this is a video game after all.”  
         The Batter was never sure what Zacharie was on about. He seemed pretty real, especially this time around. But it didn’t matter. He had a new purpose.  
         “I’m looking for a bat,” the Batter stated.  
         “Aren’t you always? I assume this is a special kind of bat then,” Zacharie said, scratching his head.  
         “Yes,” the Batter replied.  
         “A special bat that can combat color.”  
         “Yes.”  
         “I have one, but it’s not cheap.”  
         The Batter sighed. “How many credits?”  
         “Far more credits than you have,” Zacharie said. The Batter could hear the smile in his voice. He rolled his eyes. “But I can give it to you for free if you do something for me.”  
         “What’s that?” the Batter raised an eyebrow, certain it was some strange favor like getting a music box.  
         “Next time you find a Magenta, bring it to me,” the shopkeeper said with his signature chuckle.  
          _What the heck is a Magenta?_  the Batter thought. But he had no choice. “Fine.”  
         “Then here you go,” Zacharie said, handing him a blue bat. It was soft and made of some sort of plastic cloth-like material.  
         “How am I supposed to fight anything with this?” the Batter said with a frown.  
         Zacharie said nothing. He just chuckled.  
         The Batter sighed and thanked the strange man, leaving with the new weapon from the door he entered.  
         The Judge was waiting for him outside.  
         “I can’t go anywhere without finding someone to bug me,” the Batter said with a sigh.  
         “You have much work to do. Do not delay. Go to Zone 0. I will meet you there in time,” the cat explained.  
         The Batter was used to cryptic instructions, but since losing his controller, he found his mind was much more open to confusion. He opened his mouth to as what the heck the cat meant, but the Judge was already goine, having sprinted around the corner of some building. The Batter chased after him, but the Judge was nowhere to be seen. There was only one thing he could do, then.  
         Go to Zone 0.  
         Hopefully he would find some answers there. And what the heck was this “magenta” Zacharie found so valuable? There was only one way to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

         Zone 0 was a bit larger than the Batter remembered. Where there used to be just one building, there were now three. Where there were no Elsen before, now there were some. The man raised an eyebrow and looked around. The Elsen didn’t react when he teleported in from the Nothingness, which wasn’t surprising. Most of them looked lost as usual, but they seemed to be a bit more alive than any he’d seen before.  
         The Judge meowed for the Batter’s attention. The man looked down and blinked. The Judge sat, pineapple style, his tail swaying back and forth. For the first time, the Batter noticed the strange cat’s fur was a cream color instead of paper white, and his teeth were a yellowish color, as if no one had cared for them at all. There were no veterinarians in the Zones, so, it was only sensible.  
         “Welcome back to Zone 0,” the Judge said, speaking carefully. It was as if he were thinking about each word before he said it.  
         “Are you alright?” the Batter asked.  
         “Many things have been happening. I am tired and very busy. I do not have much time,” the Judge explained quickly. His tail swished, indicating he was a bit agitated, but he continued. “When the King Portu came into the zones, he brought colors with him. Nature was only a part of this. He promised protection from the nature and that he would bring more color to the Zones. When the Elsen said yes, as he expected them to, he kept them happy for a time. But then he discovered just how useful they were at finding things he needed.  
         “Portu can control colors,” the Judge said flatley, “just like the Queen controlled specters. He assigned Color Guards to control each zone and keep watch over the Elsen. Each Color Guard had their own army of colors to control and Portu ordered them to collect minerals from the Elsen. Now that Nature had taken over the Zones, there were plenty of minerals to do just that.  
         “Each Zone has a different group of minerals that Portu requires to create his colors. Each Zone has its own army of colors.”  
“So I have to purge the color from each zone and take down the Color Guards,” the Batter stated.  
         “That’s right, but you must be careful. Colors do not just come in colors. That is, they come in the form of painters or workers, or anything that might also use colors. Even some Elsen have been possessed by the colors, so you must be wary. And make sure you do not also purge the Nature.”  
         “And why am I not purging the Nature?” the Batter asked.  
         “There is too much to do. I will explain later. Now, come with me. I must show you this and prepare for your mission before you leave.”


	5. Chapter 5

         The Judge lead the man around the Zone, showing him the buildings. The first was very tall, holding many floors and windows, seemingly an apartment-like structure. The second was the same, but not as tall.  
         “These are the houses,” he explained. “The refugee Elsen live here.” He paused and sat down, indicating the Batter should stop as well, which he did. They looked up at the building in tandem, watching the Elsen walk about, confused and aimless. “Many have wandered here, feeling overworked, and some have fled here on their own volition. It is unusual for them to take action by themselves, but after you removed the Zone guardians, they began to realize themselves.”  
         “How are they safe here? Anyone can come to Zone 0,” the Batter asked.  
“Portu and his Color Guards can’t access this zone. It’s basically invisible to them. I don’t know how or why, but it seems to be some sort of failsafe for the Zone world.”  
         “A failsafe,” the Batter repeated.  
         “Zacharie is the Guardian for this zone, along with me when I am here, and Sugar for when Zacharie is away. The Color Guards tolerate Zacharie because he sells things they like. How he manages to get them, I’m not sure.”  
         “Yeah, he asked me to get a ‘magenta’ for him,” the Batter said, frowning. “Wait, Sugar?”  
         The Judge simply nodded and began to walk again. The Batter followed closely behind.  
         “Sugar is evil! I purified her,” the Batter protested, but the Judge ignored him and they continued to walk.  
         They came to the door of the smallest building. This one looked familiar. It was the original building in Zone 0. The door was open, so the pair pushed inside.  
         “Ehhehheh.” It was Zacharie. “Nice to see you again.”  
         “How did you get here so fast?” the Batter asked, perplexed.  
         Zacharie just gave his signature chuckle. “That doesn’t matter.”  
         “Yes it does. And how can you trust Sugar?” the Batter exclaimed.  
         “Please do not shout,” the Judge said. “We have worked something out with Sugar.”  
         “Did someone say my name?”  
         The strange androgynous female approached the counter from behind Zacharie. She was dressed in her usual outfit - small X’s across her nipples on her near flat chest and a coat with striped arms. For the first time, the Batter was surprised at her clothing choice, but he made no reaction.  
         “So when did you decide to become …not evil?” the Batter asked.  
         “It’s a long story,” she said simply, putting her arm around Zacharie’s neck. She gave him a quick smooch on the cheek and Zacharie chuckled. She was nearly a foot taller than him, the Batter realized.  
         “Not really that long, but I’m sure you can figure it out, heEheheHEh,” Zacharie said, his head bobbing up and down as he chuckled. “Now, what can I get you for your new mission? You have credits, I presume.”  
         The Batter checked his pockets, and much to his dismay, they were empty.  
         “I will provide you with credits,” the Judge said. He coughed as if he had a hairball, but instead of saliva and hair, a wad of paper credits splatted on the floor in front of him.  
         “Lovely,” the Batter said with a grimace, gingerly picking up the credits. He put them on the counter.   
         Zacharie didn’t react, but he instantly knew how much there was. He handed the Batter five Fortune Tickets and a few Belial’s Meats and sent him on his way.  
         “That can’t be sanitary,” the Batter heard Sugar say as he exited the store. The man grimaced and headed toward the Red Cube, hoping to get the image of wet credits out of his mind as fast as possible.


	6. Chapter 6

         Zone 1 was like he left it, structure-wise, but there was far more Nature than before. The Batter looked around at the varying shades of turquoise and green covering the ground and frowned. Trees had sprouted up everywhere, and this thing the Judge called the “Sun” was shining with a gentle fierceness. It seemed to be joyful, but forceful, reminding the Elsen that what they were doing was for their own good.  
         If the Batter didn’t know any better, he’d swear the sun was watching him.  
The mines, once purple and white by nature, was now covered in a bed of grass. Elsen milled around the area, carrying wheelbarrows full of dirt and sifting through it. All of them wore miner’s helmets, making them look like little sad men with hats.  
         None of the Elsen reacted to his entrance. They all seemed to be mindlessly moving the dirt about. Most of them seemed either blank, or lost in their thoughts. The Batter wondered what they were thinking about and if any of them knew about Zone 0.  
         He watched them all for a time, wondering whether to talk to one of the, to find out what they were mining. But he didn’t have to. Chunks of a golden-colored mineral were being deposited onto a conveyor belt. The Batter watched as the mineral was transported past the mines, far up the hills and past the barns.  
          _Is it gold?_  he thought, picking up a piece of it. He sniffed it, but it didn’t smell like much. The color was more orange than gold, and not as dark as bronze, so it could only be one thing - copper.  
         Why were the Elsen mining copper? They usually got metal from cows. He frowned.   
He watched as a collection of what seemed like floating colored blotches entered the mines. Were these the Colors the Judge warned about? They didn’t seem too dangerous, but the Batter wasn’t taking any chances.  
         Carefully, he approached the mine entrance. It was small, only the size of an average doorway, but light shone from inside. He watched the Elsen working, digging carefully into the walls. He took a deep breathe and lifted his foot to take a step inside, but he was pulled back so quickly he let out a gasp.  
         “What are you doing?” a nervous voice hissed from behind him. The Batter turned to see a young Elsen, barely big enough for xir hat. Xi blinked at the man, xir hat falling over xir ears.  
         The Batter blinked back at her. He thought about the answer for  a moment, then just decided the truth was best. “I’m going to free the Elsen.”  
         The young being gasped and clapped a hand over xir mouth. The Batter put a hand on xir shoulder and looked into xir eyes. “You’ll be free. I’m going to fix this.”  
         Xi gasped again and took off running. The Batter frowned. Did he do something wrong?


	7. Chapter 7

         The Batter stood back up and looked around. He hadn’t drawn the attention of anyone, it seemed. He took in the bland faces of the hard working Elsen and clenched his jaw.  
         The eyes of one Elsen caught his attention. Instead of working, this one was looking right at him. He gulped, but didn’t falter. With apprehension, he approached the Elsen, and much to his delight, this Elsen didn’t run.  
         “What are you doing here?” the Elsen asked him.  
         “I’m here to free you all,” the Batter explained again. “But maybe you can tell me what happened here first.”  
         The Elsen pulled him aside, out fot he view of the entrance. “I don’t want anyone overhearing us,” xi stated. “This is all your fault,” xi added, glaring at the Batter.  
         The man frowned. “Yes, that’s why I’m here to fix it,” he said, that strange new feeling of guilt washing over him.  
         “After you turned the world OFF, the king came in and took over. Now we are forced to mine copper for him and the Color Guard of this zone.”  
         “Why is no one else angry?”  
         “Most of them have given up. You dissappeared after the world was turned OFF, so there was no hope anyway. Are you going to fix this, really?” the Elsen crossed xi’s arms and frowned.  
         “Yes, I’ll do whatever I can,” the Batter nodded. “Can you tell me anything else?”  
         “No, I’m already risking my life talking to you. Showing anger is against the law, so even if an Elsen seems okay with what’s going on, they probably aren’t. Lotu dislikes anger.”  
         “Lotu?”  
         “She is the Color Guard of this zone.”  
         The Elsen motioned for silence and the Batter turned around. The collection of colored blotches exited the mine behind him. After they had disappeared around the corner, xi continued.  
         “Be careful. The Colors are not peaceful. They watch our every movement and report everything back to Lotu.”  
         “Then I must purify the Colors as well,” the Batter insisted. He turned to enter the mines.  
         The Elsen grimaced at him. “You know it’s not going to be easy.”  
         “Of course it isn’t. Making such a huge mistake isn’t going to be easy to fix,” the man explained.  
         “I’ll spread the word. Maybe more Elsen can give you a hand later in your mission,” xi said with a soft sigh. “If this works, I might forgive you.”  
         “Do you have a name?”  
         The Elsen blinked. “No one’s ever asked me that before.”  
         “Someone must have, otherwise how could you be told apart from the others?”  
         “My designation is 043, but I have always wanted to be called something else,” xi admitted.  
         “Fotre,” the Batter stated.  
         “Foh-tree,” the Elsen said, testing the name. “I like it.”  
         “Okay, Fotre, I’m going now. Don’t worry, I will take care of everything.”  
         “023 and 126 are in the post office,” Fotre offered. “They’ll be of some help if I let them both know. 312 won’t be. Xi’s the right-hand of Lotu.”  
         “Thank you for the tip,” the Batter said, and dissappeared into the mine.  
         Fotre gulped, hoping for the best.


	8. Chapter 8

         The little Elsen raced through Zone 1, passing the endless lines of xir own fellow beings heading off the work. Xir helmet flopped around like a life raft on turbulent plastic. Xi raced past the mining storage buildings, not even drawing the eyes of the other Elsen.  
         Xi skidded around the barracks and slowed to catch xir breath. Xi bent over, putter xir hands on xir knees for a few moments, then raced off again, one hand on xir helmet.  
         Xi raced past a few Colors, who turned and glanced at xir, but didn’t pursue. They figured xi was a silly little Elsen. What damage could xi do?  
         The little Elsen smiled inwardly. The Colors had no idea.  
         The Post Office lay ahead. Xi panted, but didn’t slow down as xi crashed through the front doors.   
         The building was abandoned as usual, cracked and broken and dead. The only thing that still used the building was Lotu herself and three Elsen. Xi just hoped xi ran into the right ones.  
         Xi slowed to a fast walk, panting, but still moving fast. The front area was empty, so xi kept moving. The next room, the long hallway to the lift, was empty as well. Xi headed towards it, checking the three other rooms, but no one occupied these either. Xi frowned. Usually there was at least one other in here.  
         The button on the lift blinked on when she pushed it. Nothing strange there. The dinging sound that indicated it had arrived was next, of course. But what happened after made xir jump.  
         “What are you doing here, 417?” 312 asked as the door opened.  
         “Three-twelve,” the little Elsen gasped. “I must see Lotu right away,” xi said, thinking quickly.  
         “Lotu is busy right now,” 317 said. “She is not to be disturbed.” Xi raised an eyebrow at the little being.  
         “Oh, uh, well, where are 023 and 126?”  
         “Oh-twenty-three has been sentenced to sorting the paints again,” 312 said, grinning haughtily.  
         “On floor 99995?”  
         “Isn’t that where the paints always are?”  
         “Right, thank you, 312,” 417 said, trying to push past the older Elsen. But 312 put up a hand and stopped xir.  
         “Why do you need to see 023?” xi asked skeptically.  
         “I was sent to help xir since xi is old,” 417 improvised.  _Please buy it_ …  
         312 laughed. “Well, xi is really old. I wouldn’t be surprised if xi got Burnt one of these days, but Lotu seems to like having xir around.” 312 stepped aside to let the little Elsen on and stepped out xirself. “Have fun with the old being! Xi’s kind of boring!”  
         The door of the lift closed a lot slower than 417 wished it had, but as soon as it did, xi sighed in relief. The last thing xi needed was to be stopped by stupid 312. Xi thought xi was the best just because Lotu asked xir to do stuff all the time.  
         The lift began to speed up, the numbers turning to blurs. 417 sighed again and settled down for the long right to the upper floors where Lotu kept her paints.


	9. Chapter 9

         The Batter gasped. The entrance to the mines were more wide and expansive than he’d imagined. Elsen of all ages, shapes, and sizes, worked along the walls with chisels, pickaxes, and shovels, trying to get the copper from the walls. Not many seemed to be successful.   
         An Elsen on his right, wiped xi’s brow with xi’s shirt sleeve, leaving a brown stain on the white shirt. They hadn’t even been given proper work clothes.  
The Batter, still unused to these emotions, felt a fire light inside of him. What once did not affect him in the slightest, now made him angry. He felt his brow furrow in anger and his hands ball into fists. It took all of his strength to not remove the bat that was strapped across his back like a sword and smack the walls up.  
          _As if that would do anything,_  he thought, feeling foolish.  
         A Color floated toward him. It was hard to see exactly which one in the darkness, but as it drew closer, he could make out that it was a bright shade of red.  
At first, the blotch didn’t seem to notice him. The Batter stood frozen, an angry scowl on his face, both hoping that it would and wouldn’t see him. The Color paused and twisted. The Batter inferred that it was looking around, even though it had no eyes. It seemed to be observing somehow. As it drew closer, the Batter readied to spring. But it floated right by him as if he wasn’t there. The Batter straightened, confused. But he didn’t stay confused for very long.  
         The bat made a wooshing sound as it flew through the stal cavern air and smacked the Color right in the back on the head. Or, it might have been the head. It fell foward, making a splatting sound on the stones. A few of the Elsen turned and gasped.  
         The Batter grinned. That was too easy. The Color was splattered all over the floor like a fallen bucket of red paint, dead as dead could be. But his triumph didn’t last long.  
         Slowly, the red droplets splattered on the walls and floor pooled back together. The Batter stepped back in surprise, watching as the Color “withdrew” a sword from inside of itself, made of its own body. There was no hand holding it, rather it looked like a monotone red arm with a sword for a hand.  
“Who are you to attack me?” the Color said. “How dare you attack of Lotu’s guards?”  
The Batter didn’t budge. He hadn’t expected the words, but he was here to do a job, and he would do it.  
         “I am here to purify you,” he stated.  
         By now, the entryway was full of gasps and chatter from the Elsen. No one was still working. They had all stopped and turned to watch what was happening.  
         “Purify? I think you are mistaken,” the Red chuckled.  
         Without replying, the Batter swung his weapon and a familiar sound of a metal bat hitting a baseball rang through the cavern.  
         “Furious Home Run!”


	10. Chapter 10

         Not two seconds after the Red was splattered all over the walls, three other Colors raced into the cave. The Elsen gasped in unison, but didn’t return to their work. They were eager to see what the Batter would do.  
         “Who did this?” a Blue demanded.  
         The Batter stepped forward, his blue bat now splattered with Red. His expression said everything it needed to say.  
         “It’s him!” a Green blurted out, a pointed finger extending from the floating colored blob.  
         The third blob said nothing, but the Batter couldn’t tell what color it was exactly. It was a bit red, and a bit pink at the same time. But the Batter didn’t have any time to think about it.  
         In an instant the Colors were on him. He gritted his teeth and swung his bat, sending color all over the cave walls. The sounds of Homeruns echoed on the cave walls and the gasps of Elsen added to the noise.  
         As the final Color fell, a clinking sound caused him the look down. The pinkish Color had dropped something. The Batter picked it up to inspect it, but he couldn’t identify it. The object was kite-shaped, made of triangles, and seemed to be made of glass. With nothing to properly figure out what it was, he simply placed it in his inventory. Maybe Zacharie would know what it was.  
         Panting, the Batter looked at the mess he had made. His once white shirt and pants were now a regular Jackson Pollack. Silence hung in the air after that. The Elsen didn’t know how to react. Some of them fainted, some of them exploded and became Burnt, and others just stood frozen in their spots, not knowing what to do.  
         A loud bleeping sliced the silence in half like a knife. The Batter turned to see another Green, a hand on a lever.  
         “It set off the alarm!” an Elsen exclaimed.  
The Batter had no time to prepare. The sunlight at the entrance dissappeared as a giant Color peered in.  
         “What is going on?” it said. The colors it was made of flowed freely, making many ironically calming imaged. It stepped inside and looked around. “Turn off that alarm!” it bellowed. “Lotu won’t be happy if she’s called down here personally.”  
Finally spotting the Batter, it chuckled. “Well, well, what have we here? Didn’t you dissappear?”  
         “I’m back to correct the mistake I’ve made,” the man stated, clutching his bat until his knuckles turned white.  
         “Mistake? I hardly think so. But let me take care of that.” The Color roared, shaking the walls and hearts of Elsen. Many of them curled up into fetal positions. The Batter was surprised more of them didn’t get Burnt.  
         He set his jaw against the noise and charged. His bat struck home on every hit and soon this giant Color was defeated as well. The Green raced past him, too fast to catch, and dissappeared out the door.   
          _Dammit,_  he thought. The last thing he needed was someone to alert Lotu, but there was no helping it now.


	11. Chapter 11

         417 panted, racing through the halls. Xi had to get to 023 and 126 before Lotu realized what was going on. If this Batter person was really going to do what he said he would, he would need a little help.  
         The paint storage was the first and only door on the 99,995th floor. Why Lotu needed a whole floor to store her paints was beyond 417. The door swung open silently to reveal a warehouse-like room with boxes of squeeze tubes lined on shelves that reached the the cieling. Each tube looked like a tube of toothpaste, but instead they all contained different shades of colors.   
         Some of the boxes were filled with cans of paint instead, and these were stacked high, one on top of another until they looked as if they would topple over any second. The floor was strewn with tubes and cans some of them spilled over and others just open with wooden sticks inside.  
         “Oh-twenty-three?” little 417 called, xir voice echoing off the walls. “023, are you here?”  
         A crash echoed across the expanse and a soft “ow” followed. Turned toward the far corner, 417 broke into a sprint.  
         “023, where are you? Are you ok?”  
         “Right over here, Senti,” a soft, elderly voice called. 417 turned down the last row and skidded around the corner, xir shoes squeaking on the tiled floor. Xi saw a hand visible under a piled of boxes and raced over to help.  
         “Are you okay?” xi asked, helping the old Elsen sit up. The boxes were fortunatly empty, but the fall from two shelves up couldn’t have been fun.  
         “Just fine, little one,” xi said, slowly standing up with 417’s help. “What are you doing here, Senti?”  
         417 always thought 023’s nickname for xir was cute. Xi was the only one that called xir that. Xi quite liked it, but was embarassed when xi called xir that in from of anyone else. Xi’d always said that xi should be proud of it because not many Elsen had names. In fact, 023 had never known another with a name instead of a number.  
         “I have to tell you and 123 that someone is coming to free us,” 417 whispered as if the whole world might here.  
         023 stared at xir for a second, then chuckled. “What kind of silly prank is this, today, little Senti?”  
         “It’s not a joke. I talked to him,” 417 insisted.  
         For a moment, 023 looked at xir silently. 417’s expression was as serious as xi could get, and 023 knew better than to doubt xir right now.  
         “If this is true, tell me about the person,” he said, kneeling down next to the smaller Elsen.  
         417 frowned, determinately. “His name is Batter, and he has a big baseball bat. He purified the Colors at the mines. We have to help him get rid of Lotu.”  
023 gasped. “The Batter?” Xi stood up quickly, and ran to the shelf the next aisle over. “Then I know just what to do.”  
         417 followed xir and the elder Elsen pulled a notepad from xi’s pants and began writing. “Go find these colors. They have to be exact. Bring them all to aisle 4 when you’ve found them. There’s a little hiding spot there.” Xi shooed xir off qith a quick hand motion. “What are you waiting for, go!”


	12. Chapter 12

         Lotu grinned at the canvas, her razor sharp smile as wide as her whole face.  
         “Perfection,” she declared.  
         She looked down at the picture she had been painting. It was the scene before her, as she had painted 37 times this week, and 14 times last week. For some reason, she never got sick of it.  
         The scene itself was the ruins of the post office. Vines grew in and out of the metalwork, peeking through cracks like snakes searching for a decent meal. The main entrance was overgrown with weeds and Bachelor’s Buttons, which she didn’t wholly mind. They provided a nice blending to the already purple building.  
         She sighed and laid back against the wall that surrounded the roof. Today was a nice day. She leaned back and closed her dark eyes, pursing her lips. The sun was out, the wind was blowing softly…  
         A loud alarm woke her from her musings. Her eyes shot open and her grin became a toothy frown. She applied another layer of blood red lipstick before entering the lift, grumbling something.  
         The alarm seemed to encompass the whole of the building. She could feel the vibrations running through her whole body. She growled and put her hands over her ears. The lift doors opened slowly and the alarm sound buffeted her like an angry hurricane.  
         “312!” she screeched, barely able to hear herself over the noise. “312!”  
She paced forward, both of her hands still over her ears. The button that shut off the alarm flashed bright red. She slammed it off, and the sudden silence made her sigh in relief.  
         “312!” she shrieked, even more angry.  
         “Here! Here I am, Mistress!” the Elsen panted, racing down the empty hallway. Xi skidded to a stop in front of her.   
She glared down at xir, her frown taking up the entirety of her lower face. “Who set off this god damn alarm?”  
         “I don’t know,” 312 admitted. “If it went off here, that means something horrible has happened at the mines.”  
         “Horrible enough to bother me while I was painting?” she demanded. Her torso, seemingly made of elastic, stretched until she was well over top the Elsen, nearly reaching the 10-foot ceiling. 312 cowered below her. “Why was it not taken care of?”  
“I don’t know,” 312 admitted, wiping the nervous sweat from xir brow.  
         “Well, find out!” Lotu demanded, shrinking back to her normal 5’5’’ height. Even at this height she was a head taller than the Elsen. “If this goes off again, I’ll make sure your head comes off too.”  
         312 gulped, trying desperately to stay calm. If he got any more upset, he might lose his head, quit literally, and become Burnt. It was bad enough doing that to himself, let alone being threatened.  
         Lotu paused and turned around in front of the lift doors.  
         “312, I’m sorry I yelled,” she said. “You really are a valuable part of my life.”  
         “Really?” xi asked.  
         “Yeah, you’re the only one I can trust these days. 023 and 126 always run away.”  
         “Well, you keep me well fed,” 312 admitted.  
         “Yes, and if you can keep it quiet around here, I’ll make sure you get twice rations of sugar tonight,” Lotu grinned.  
         312 blinked, shocked. Then, without knowing what else to do, he simply saluted. “Yes, Mistress!” he exclaimed.  
         Lotu chuckled. “Keep up the good work,” she added as the lift door closed.


	13. Chapter 13

         More and more Colors came at the Batter. It was as if the alarm itself had opened a rift into the Nothingness and released every Color of the rainbow. He panted, sending each Color splattering against the wall.   
         The Elsen were getting more and more agitated; about seven on them had become Burnt already and lay on a heap, their heads turned to various monstrous silhouettes.  
Suddenly, the loud, blaring alarm seemed to shut itself off. A strange silence settled over the mine. The Colors froze, mid-strike. The Batter, who had his bat raised over his head, looked around and lowered it slowly.  
         The Yellow attacking the Batter took a step back - or rather a levitation back - and looked around. A Red, who’s arm was raised, lowered the limb and looked at the Yellow.  
         “The alarm is off,” it said stupidly.  
         “Lotu has ignored us,” the Yellow observed.  
         “How do you know?” a Green asked.  
         “The alarm would have beeped a long sound then blipped twice to let us know she was coming. She has just turned it off,” the Yellow explained.  
         “So Lotu is coming here?” the Batter asked. “That saves me some energy.”  
         “No, this is not good,” the Red said. “I will need to call and tell about the situation.”  
         A few more Elsen became Burnt at the idea of Lotu herself coming down. The rest of them went back to working frantically as if being idle was punishment by death. The Batter frowned, knowing full well that it probably was.  
         The Colors, now seemingly uninterested in the Batter, all stood in the same place. The Yellow that had realized Lotu ignored the alarm and went outside. The Batter was unsure whether to stop it. If it was making a call to Lotu, it would save him time, but on the other hand, it would destroy the element of surprise.  
         The latter seemed like a good thing to preserve.  
         The man leaped into action, catching the first three Colors by the exact surprise he was hoping to preserve. The smacked against the mine walls, coating five Elsen in a rainbow of colors. The beings ignored the event, simply continuing on with their work.   
         The other Colors leaped into action, piling on the Batter. The man caught a glimpse of the Yellow leaving the mines to supposedly warn Lotu, but after that, everything was a sea of color.  
  
         “312 speaking,” the Elsen said, answering the 99998th floor phone.  
         “There’s been an incident at the mines. The alarm was ignored.”  
         312 blinked. Lotu had just shut off that alarm without a second thought. “What is the incident?” xi asked.  
         “A man with a bat is here. He says he will free the Elsen.”  
         “A bat?”  
         “Yes.”  
         “I will tell Lotu personally,” xi said.  
         “I think she needs to come down. This bat man is very strong.”  
         312 felt a bead of sweat fall down his face. If Lotu was needed personally, it must be a big deal.  
         “I’ll see to it,” xi said, and hung up the phone.  
         Lotu was painting again when xi arrived on the roof. She must have heard the lift ding, because she spoke without turning around.  
         “What is it?” Her voice was full of annoyance.  
         “The mines just called,” 312 said, xi’s voice shaking slightly. “They need you to go there. There’s been an incident.”  
         Lotu turned slowly. “What  _kind_  of incident?”  
         “A man with a bat is destroying the Colors and saying he will free the Elsen.”  
         Lotu’s toothy grin cut her face in half.  
         “Perfect. I have been wanting to meet him!”


	14. Chapter 14

         The train’s engine was strangely soothing. Lotu lay her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes.  
         Normally she traveled with her attendant Elsen: 312, 023, and 126, but she felt this visit was safe enough. If it was the same creature she hoped it was, there would be no need for her attendants. She’s make her presence known and give him a good thrashing and be done with it.  
         She smiled at the back of her eyelids as the train screeched to halt. She stood up, her long, colorful dress falling to her ankles. Her bleached fell to her shoulders, its waves bouncing playfully. Her skin was not of an unusual color either, being slightly bronze, but no so slight as to seem tanned.  
         But what might strike any viewer speechless was not her form, for this was somewhat human, but her mouth. It stretched across her face like cellophane, touching each cheek until there was no more face to touch. It was filled with rows of sharp teeth, liken to a shark.   
         Her eyes were even more unusual. They were twice the size of any normal human, and the irises were filled with bright red instead of green or blue or brown. The had pupils the shape of a cat’s and a second eyelid akin to a reptile.  
         No one knew where she came from except that King Portu brought her with him when he made himself rules of the Zones. He seemed to like picking strange ones, and Lotu was strange when she needed to be, having the ability to stretch her torso and fingers to any length necessary. It always unnerved 312 and he was the only one that ever bothered to work closely enough with her to see whens he did this.  
         Her musing were interrupted by the trains whistle. The doors of the train slid open with a hiss and she stepped off, her heels clacking on the pavement. She scanned the station with her piercing eyes, causing the station attendant to instantly become Burnt. She rolled her eyes as xi collected xirself and raced off. Hopefully xi would be back to clean up xir mess before she had to leave. She did hate when Burnt Elsen left things behind.  
         The mines looked busy. Colors rushed in and out, yelling at each other. It appeared they had been attacking something, but the something was fighting back, and winning. Color pieces flew everywhere, covering nearby Elsen, who didn’t stop their working despite the fight.  
         “What is going on here?” Lotu asked, putting her hands on her hips.  
Everything froze. Every Elsen within her viewing range looked up and gasped (or rather, more correctly, wheezed). Most of them dropped what they were doing and prostrated in front of their commander, though not out of respect, but fear.  
         The Colors gathered in front of her, many of them missing pieces. Some just fell over, wishing to be somewhere else. The only one that didn’t stop right away was the Batter.  
         Upon noticing the lack of action, he froze mid-swing, and peeked out of the mine’s entrance. His face was covered in a collection of splotches: red, green, blue, yellow, orange, and even purple.  
         “Who is that?” he asked to no one in particular.  
         He got a hard elbow to the ribs. “That’s Lotu,” an Orange hissed.  
         “Batter,” Lotu cooed. “It’s so very nice to meet you!”  
         “So you are Lotu,” he said, glaring at her.  
         “Yes, and I have to thank you for what you did. It is because of you that I have control over Zone One.”  
         “And that must change,” the Batter said grimly. “The Elsen will be free.”  
         “Or what?” she asked, smiling. She found him quite adorably amusing.  
         “Or you will die.”  
         Lotu filled the area with amused cackling. “That is far too unlikely to even waste your breathe on.”  
         But the Batter was determined. He set his jaw and glared, daring her to move. She just smiled at him mockingly.


	15. Chapter 15

         The Batter raised his weapon in preparation for an attack, but the Colors would not have it. They began to move in front of the man, trying to protect their leader.  
But Lotu did not approve. “Move out of the way. I will take care of him myself,” she commanded.  
         The Colors turned to face Lotu. If they had eyes, they might have expressed confusion. But they accepted her command and moved to let the Batter through.  
The two humanoids faced off, their expressions differing, but both challenging. The Batter’s frown depicted confidence and duty, while Lotu’s grin showed amusement. She chuckled, extending her height to only seven feet - a decent amount, but not too much. She didn’t want to waste any energy she didn’t need to.  
         Without warning, the Batter charged. She was prepared, though, and moved her body like a snake so his strike hit nothing but air. She chuckled and withdrew two paint tubs from her dress pockets.  
         The Batter raised an eyebrow. “What are you going to do, paint me?”  
         “Be careful what you say about my paints,” the woman said, her smile turning to a frown. She gripped the tubes so tightly, the caps popped off and landed on the concrete with soft clicking noises.  
         The Batter saw an opening and took it. “Your paints aren’t even exciting colors.”  
         Lotu growled. “I told you to be careful what you  _say_.” At the last word, which she put emphasis on, she squeezed the tubes just enough to send a small blotch flying through the air. The colors flew across the clearing and landed on the Batter’s face. At first he didn’t think much of it, but slowly, something strange began to happen.  
The splotches made his face  _burn_.  
         He shouted in pain and dropped his bat. “What is this?” he demanded.  
Lotu cackled. “I told you to be careful what you say!” she exclaimed.  
“What is this?” he repeated, trying to scrape it off his skin.  
“My paint is not just any other paint. It contains a strong acid that I like to add to my works. I find it gives my paintings a nice extra sheen.”  
With some effort, the paint finally came off the man’s face, and he stood up, bat in hand once more.  
         “It will take more than some paint to stop me,” the Batter said with a grimace. Without waiting for her to reply, he charged. “Furious Home Run!”  
Lotu flew across the clearing with a screech and landed with a thump, rolling about two feet before finally stopped. Two Colors raced to her aid, but she pushed them away.   
         “This is my fight,” she insisted. “And I will not have you interfere!” She leapt to her feet with a growl. “I will not be playing nice anymore.”   
         At this, her body extended to reach a full ten feet and her fingers extended into long tenticles. Her bronze skin turned to pitch black and her eyes began to glow.  
“Do you see this, Batter? Not many get to see this.”  
         “I’m glad. It’s not really that pretty,” he replied.  
         She frowned at his comment and screeched in anger. The sight of this strange being flying at anyone else might have caused them to scream and run away, but the Batter was not anyone else, and he was ready.


	16. Chapter 16

         When the Batter fought an adversary as large as Lotu, everything went into overdrive. His muscles tensed and his knuckles turned white from gripping his bat so hard. Nothing else existed right now - only the monster before him and his weapon.  
         Leaping to his right, he struck the creature. The clang of the Competence caused the working Elsen nearby to jump, but they continued to work despite the action. Lotu screeched in annoyance more than pain and charged again.  
         The tentacles that used to be her fingers shot through the air and wrapped themselves around him. She cackled, tossing him like a rag doll against the conveyor belt. The Elsen tending it leaped into the air and came down Burnt. The black fluid exploding from the being’s neck coated the Batter’s shirt.  
         The tentacle-hand cut through the air, coming down like a anvil. The Batter rolled to the side and the conveyor belt took the damage, shattering with a loud crunch. Debris flew into the air, causing the spectators to scatter. The attending Elsen raced into the mine, hoping for some cover. The machine ground the a stop, squeaking like an old door.  
         Lotu screamed in anger. “Look what you made me do!”  
         The Batter slowly stood up, pain shooting from the back of his head. He squinted, pushing the sensation aside. He had to finish this now.  
         “Run with Courage,” he whispered, activating the attack. He charged, his bat beginning to glow silver.  
         Lotu’s eyes widened, realizing what he was doing. She roared and shot her tentacles toward the man. He easily avoided them, not missing a step. His bat contacted her skull with a metallic crack.  
         The ground came swiftly and she found herself looking up at her adversary.  
         “Mercy!” she begged, transforming back to her original womanly form.  
The Batter was not one to even consider this option before, but something inside him leaped at the words.  
         “You may live if you leave this place and never come back,” he said as if it was a reflex. He was surprised at his own words.  
         “Really?” she asked.  
         The Batter raised an eyebrow, but then nodded.  
         “Then at least help me up,” she requested.  
         The Batter extended a hand for her to grasp, which she did. But just as she had gotten back to her feet, a blast of red paint came seemingly out of nowhere.  
         The burning was instant. The Batter screamed, and Lotu raced away. Frantically, the man wiped the paint off with a sleeve, but by the time he could see again, the woman was already gone, followed closely by a large collection of Colors.  
         He could still hear her cackling. He growled and gave chase, but the train had already pulled away from the station. A pair of Blues tried to push him back toward the mines, but he made quick work of them.  
         “Well, you are quite a mess now, my violence-loving friend.”  
         The Batter looked around, and not finding anyone, grew more frustrated.  
         “Down here, Batter-man,” the voice said again.  
         He looked down and the Judge smiled back up at him.  
         “Oh, it’s you,” he growled.  
         “You appeared to have taken quite a few blows,” the cat said.  
         “Yeah, there was a mess.”  
         “There is also blood on your head.”  
         The Batter recalled the sharp pain he had felt on his head. He touched the back of his skull and grimaced. Blood was caked all over the back of it.  
         “Come with me,” the Judge instructed. “I will have you clean up until you are fit to continue your journey.


	17. Chapter 17

         The Judge lead the Batter silently through the residential district. The houses were in better shape here. It seemed someone, or a group of someones, was in charge of keeping the Nature at bay.  
         The Batter’s guess was confirmed upon seeing the few Elsen that were around doing just that. They used giant scissors and knives to cut away the extra vines. The man opened his mouth to ask, but the Judge had already stopped at a familiar door.  
Confused, the Batter looked down, but the Judge didn’t turn around. He simply mewed softly.  
         When the man didn’t get the message, he spoke. “As you can see, I cannot open the door. If you please…”  
         “Oh,” the Batter said simply, swinging the door inward.  
         Inside was the shopkeeper, waiting for both of them behind a small desk. The mask concealed any hint of a grin, but the Batter knew that the strange man was always grinning behind the false face.  
         “Welcome,” Zacharie cooed. “How can I help you?”  
         “The woman carrying acid paints has had a meeting with our bat-weilding friend,” the Judge said.  
         Zacharie chuckled. “Oh yes. There is a bath in my room you can use.”  
         The Batter paced toward the door Zacharie had indicated. He heard the other two chatting behind him, but ignored it. He could hopefully get more information on Lotu when he was done. For right now, he had to clean off this acid.  
         The bath was pretty big - it was a classic claw foot style. He turned on the water and put the plug in, letting it fill up slowly.  
         He felt rather strange undressing in someone else’s room, but considering the situation, there wasn’t another option.   
         These new emotions gave him another gift - embarrassment. He fervently wished he could go back to the way things were before. Having feelings had not been a positive experience at all.  
         He left his ball cap on as he slipped into the bath. The water was strangely relaxing. It was different from the rivers of meat and plastic he’d dealt with before. This was a new elemental experience.  
         It was strange Zacharie had suggested the bath as if it was nothing. Had things really changed that much since he’d turned everything OFF? It was as if the Nature had wiped all traces of the old world off the map and replaced it with this new thing. The Batter still wasn’t sure if he liked this Nature thing, but he had never really had time to reflect on it.  
         He sunk into the water up to his nose and breathed. The sensation of bubbles on his nose was so surprising, he nearly fell over. Water was much less viscous than plastic. It took him a few more minutes to get use to the element again before he felt relaxed.  
         “There is a bar of soap as indicated by the shopkeeper,” he heard the Judge say from the other side of the door. “He has instructed me to inform you that this ‘soap’ is good for cleaning off many things. I suggest you use it.”  
         The Batter didn’t reply, but he did spot the white bar of this ‘soap’ in an indent on the wall. He picked it up and nearly dropped it. Soap was also strange. There were too many strange things in this new world. He’d be glad to be done with it soon enough.


	18. Chapter 18

         The Batter got dressed quickly, hoping to get on with his quest without further delay. He felt much better, being unsure when the last time he was actually clean. He thought back on it and realized that he couldn’t remember. In fact, he’d never not felt clean before today. His mind wandered the possibilities until it settled on something to do with this Nature.  
         Zacharie was waiting for him just outside the door. The Judge was gone, as expected. That cat was never around long. The Batter frowned and looked at the shopkeeper; he held a long, black cloak across his arm.  
         “I found this in storage for you,” Zacharie said, handing the garment to the Batter. “It should stand up to whatever Lotu has in store for you.” He bobbed his head, giving a chuckle.  
         The Batter said nothing, but accepted the gift, hoping it worked. While Zacharie had never lied to him, that strange chuckle always made him think otherwise.  
         “Thanks,” he said finally. Zacharie just chuckled and shuffled back to his shop desk.  
         “Would you spare some credits for some nice things?” he asked, tilting his masked face.  
         The Batter thought it might be a good idea. After all, he’d just gotten a nice cloak, and he could use a few Fortune Tickets. He purchased five from the shopkeeper and headed out the door.  
         The train lay just outside. He knew just where to go. After a short ride to Sachihata station, he found just what he was looking for.  
         The Post Office reached far into the sky. There seemed to be no end. While he already knew it had just under 100,000 floors, it was still a stunning sight. But this time, instead of a monochrome prison, holes had appeared all over the concrete. Vines weaved in and out of the unkempt walls, breaking apart the structure. Mold and moss claimed edge and window. Paint peeled off falling in piles around the foundation. It was all a rather sad sight compared to the buzzing activity of the years before.  
         He supposed most of the Elsen were in the mines, farming the copper for the king and Lotu. He grimaced, remembering once again that this was mostly his fault. Guilt washed over him and he grew annoyed, wishing there was something more positive about having emotions now.  
         The door swung open easily, it’s hinges loose. The entry was completely empty. There were desks strewn around like wood chips in each office room he checked. Everything was abandoned.  
         The ding of the lift made him jump. He leapt behind the right side wall and watched as the doors opened to reveal the small Elsen from the mines. Xi carried a bucket of paint that appeared, overall, rather bland. He let xir race by before stepping out of his hiding spot.  
         “Where are you going so fast?” he asked.  
         The little Elsen jumped, nearly spilling the paint everywhere. Xi turned and gasped.  
         “You! I was looking for you,” xi said, racing back toward the man. “I have this for you.”  
         The Batter looked at the bucket and raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”  
         “It’s paint,” xi said with a pleased grin as if that explained everything. The Batter’s confused expression prompted xir to continue. “You see, Lotu hates the color gray. She really doesn’t like it at all. 023 and I figured if you color your bat gray, she’ll hate it and run away.”  
         “What’s your name?” the Batter asked.  
         “Senti - I mean 417.”  
         “Senti? That’s a good name. And you have a good idea,” the Batter said with a nod.  
         417 beamed and produced a large paintbrush from under xir hat, and the Batter set about painting his fuzzy bat an odd gray color.  
         After it was done, the paint was already dry. The Batter nodded and handed the brush back to xir.  
         “Are you really here to save us?” xi asked.  
         “With this bat, I’ll right my wrongs, and you’ll be rid of this Lotu,” the man said, standing tall.  
         Senti smiled, revealing xir pearly whites. The Batter realized this was the first time he’d seen an Elsen’s teeth. He smiled, a rare occurance for him as well, and headed toward the lift.  
         “Be careful of 312,” xi advised him as he waited. “023 and 126 will help you though. You can recognize them as the ones with dirty shoes.”


	19. Chapter 19

         “Dirty shoes?” the Batter said to himself as the lift doors closed. He didn’t have much time to think about it, because the lift slowed to a halt on floor 000100.  
         His breath cought in his throat. There was no way to escape if it was 312 or Lotu herself. He pushed against the wall and grasped his bat so tightly, his knuckles turned white.  
         The door opened slowly and the Batter raised his weapon, ready to strike whatever came through the door.  
  
         It had been a long day for 126. Xi had cleaned out the spiders in the bathrooms on floors 000002-000098 and chased some Color-eaters out of the back hallways on 000099 and 000100, so xi was ready to just go to bed. Unfortunatly, the sleeping quarters were all the way on floor 999995, one floor below Lotu’s.  
         Xi sighed and pushed the up button on the lift. Xi could hear the gears grinding. Xi would have to ask 023 about that later. The older Elsen was a machine expert and could make even dead divices come alive again. It was a shame he was stuck in the paint storage all the time.  
         The lift gave a soft ding and the door opened slowly, but instead of being able to walk in and half-nap all the way to xir quarters, something hard came flying through the air and knocked xir clean out.  
  
         The Batter examined the Elsen and felt a chill run down his spine as he realized this one’s shoes were rather scuffed. He’d knocked out the wrong Elsen.  
         He grunted and dragged the unfortunate being off the lift, letting the machinery shoot up to wherever it was needed. He grumbled, annoyed that he had reacted too quickly. He took off his jersey, revealing a plain white undershirt beneath it. He folded the striped shirt into a pillow-shape and lay the Elsen’s head on it.  
         He wished he had some of that water stuff from the bath. Something told him that would be good for waking someone up. But instead, he simply waited, being angry with himself. The Elsen would wake up soon enough.  
         Just a short five minutes later, the Elsen blinked, black tears dripping from xir eyes. Xi sat up carefully and looked around. Upon spotting the Batter, xi jumped and gasped. The Batter had to act quickly, or xi may become Burnt.  
         “Who are you?” xi demanded, black tears threatening to blow xir head off.  
         “I’m the Batter,” the man said. “417, er Senti, told me you’d be of some help. I apolgize for hitting you. I didn’t know who was coming in the lift.”  
         The Elsen’s breathing slowed considerably on hearing 417’s nickname. Only a few people called xir that. The little Elsen always visited 023, and often the three would meet together for some card games after Lotu had gone to bed.  
         “I havn’t seen Senti all day, but if you saw xir, then xi’s probably still around,” 126 said, wheezing. A red bump had began forming on xir head.  
         “What do you do about red bumps?” the Batter asked, concerned.  
         “What do you - oh, there’s some cold things in the kitchens,” xi explained. “Cold things help redness go away.”  
         “Can you show me?”  
         “If you help me up, I can show you a lot more than that,” xi said with a grim smile.


	20. Chapter 20

         The rest of the lift ride was uneventful, but that was mostly due to the fact that 126 showed the Batter a nice little trick that skipped all the floors it was called to, even by Lotu herself. The Batter wished he’d known that before so he wouldn’t be having to delay his fight with the strange woman.  
         But maybe it was better this way. At least by helping 126, he could get to know his allies. Plus, his sense of duty couldn’t turn down helping those with his same goal.  
         The elevator finally stopped at the floor 126 had mentioned. The doors opened, but it appeared just like any other floor. 126 peered out and looked around, but seemed to move a bit too fast for xi’s injury. Xi grasped xi’s forehead, looking rather dizzy.  
         The Batter put a hand on xi’s shoulder. “Are you ok?”  
         “I think I’ll need some help,” 126 admitted.  
         The Batter was pleased to feel a positive emotion for a change. Helping this Elsen made him feel good inside, though he did feel rather stupid for hitting xir in the first place. Slinging xir arm over his shoulder, the Elsen gave him directions to the kitchens.  
         The word “kitchen” itself was a strange word to the Batter, but he knew what it was. It was strange because last time he was here, all the Elsen were addicted to sugar and ate meat now and then. Was the kitchen just full of sugar and meat? Did the Nature bring other things for them to eat? There was only one way to find out.  
         “This door on the left,” 126 explained, pointing with xir free hand.   
         As they entered, the Batter switched the light on and the four front florescent lights lit up the room. Stainless steel counters stretched across the front area, one long in the front with a small door for staff to enter through, and two shorter ones right next to each other with pots and pans hanging above. Behind the closest one was two smaller ovens and a larger oven, which sat next to a massive grilling surface and a stove with six surfaces. On the far side of the room was an industrial dishwasher with plastic trays to load masses of dishes into.  
         The freezer was in the back, behind the ovens. The Batter had to switch on another set of lights after helping 126 onto the front counter. At first, the Elsen protested, because he would be sitting on a surface food was placed on, but the Batter insisted, saying this was a special occasion. But now, he found himself digging through a large walk-in freezer filled with boxes of strange food. He had propped the doors open because he was a bit nervous about the doors locking, and also to keep an ear on 126.  
         There were things called “frozen vegetables” in the first box. The picture on the front showed small circles that were colored orange. Another showed a mix of yellow and green tube-like object. Neither seemed sufficient for putting on a head wound; they were like bricks of cold.   
         Another box contained something familiar - meat. This meat was shaped into disks and labeled “hamburger.” The Batter raised an eyebrow at these strange names.  
         “There are some things called ‘peas’ in the back. They are small and round and green. They freeze a lot better so they are good for the situation,” he heard 126 explain. He headed to the very back to where the Elsen had said and found a box lables “green peas - keep frozen.” The bag on the top showed the picture the Elsen had mentioned and he picked it up.  
         It was much more flexible than the other “vegetables,” so he grabbed his prize and headed out.  
         “Here you go,” the Batter said, handing the icy cold bag to xir.   
         With a hiss of pain, xi applied the compress and sighed. “This is very good. Thank you.”  
         The pair’s serenity was interrupted by the sound of the lift. The Batter froze, extracting his weapon from his belt.  
         126 began to panic. “If 312 finds us here…”  
         The Batter shushed xir and shut off the lights. Closing the entry door as much as he could, but still allowing a bit of light in, he peered into the hallway.  
         The sound of footsteps got closer, and he clenched his jaw, ready to attack anything that came around the corner.


	21. Chapter 21

         312 sighed, putting a hand on xi’s head. Today had not been a good day. Not only had the alarm gone off twice, but xi’s boss had come back injured. Xi had been forced to attend to her wounds, which weren’t all that severe, though she’d acted like she’d been dying.  
         On days like this, xi had to remind himself why xi was doing this. Though Lotu was a tough boss, often abusive, she always made sure those that assisted her got the most sugar. Xi grinned, thinking about those days she was in a good mood. She’d always given xir an entire bag of sugar. Xi smiled at the memory.  
         Xi turned the corner, headed to the kitchens. Though xi would much prefer sugar, Lotu was not in a giving mood today, so xi had to make due. There should be something nice in the kitchens: perhaps some sweet apples or cherries. Xi grinned, thinking of the juicy fruit.  
         Locked in his daydream of sugar and fruits, xi swung the kitchen door open. Xi gasped at the sight of the Batter, but that was all xi managed to get out before a bat came straight at him.  
  
         “Oh my god, that was 312,” 126 gasped. “No, this is bad. This is  _very_  bad. Lotu is going to be  _furious_.” Xi put a hand on xir chest, trying to control xir breathing, but xir’s panic was getting the best of xir.  
         The Batter glanced at xir, then back at the body on the floor. He sighed and bent to pick up the unfortunate Elsen. With a grunt, he scooped xir up and lay xir next to 126 on the counter.  
         “At least we don’t have to worry about running into xir anymore,” he said. “I’m going to make my way to the roof. You should stay here.”  
         126 nodded, removing the bag of peas from xir head. “Be careful,” xi warned. “Lotu is not as easy as she looks. But your bat is gray, so you should have an advantage.”  
         “Thanks,” the Batter replied simply. “Take care of yourself.” With that, he was gone.  
         126 watched him leave, the door swinging behind him. This whole thing was his fault, xi realized was a frown. But if anyone could beat Lotu and put everything right it was him.  
  
         The ride up the lift was frustrating. The Batter sighed, waiting for the numbers to scroll. Something told him this wouldn’t be the same fight he’d had at the mines.  
He swung the bat a few times, preparing himself. He might have felt better if his add-ons were still with him, but there was nothing to be done about that right now. The Judge might have some advice for him regarding this. But right now was not the time to worry about whether or not he would do well without his add-ons. Right now was the time to prepare.  
         The lift sped along, the numbers speeding by. 999975, 999985, 999995…this was it. Floor 999999 pinged, and the doors slid open. This was it. He took a deep breath and stepped off onto the roof.


	22. Chapter 22

         The lift doors open silently. The Batter stepped off onto the roof, greeting by a soft breeze that ruffled his cloak. He’d never felt a breeze before. When the zones were younger, there was no weather. Every day was the same. Now, not only was there a sun, but there was wind.  
         He glanced around, bat in hand, and found Lotu on the other side of the roof, painting. Her back was to him, painting the same scene she’d painted a hundred times before.  
         “312, is that you? I could use some more green. Go get me some,” she commanded. When the Batter didn’t answer her, she turned around with an annoyed expression. But instead of shouting, she gasped.  
         “Where did  _you_  come from? The Colors should have taken care of you,” she growled, recovering quickly.  
         “They were nothing,” the Batter replied, swinging his bat to emphasize his point.  
         Suddenly, she gave a piercing screech. She pointed a shaky finger at the bat.  
         “What is that?” she demanded.  
         “What? This?” the Batter asked, holding up his weapon. “It’s a baseball bat.”  
         “No, the color,” Lotu breathed.  
         “Oh, I thought you’d like it. I was told it was your favorite color,” the Batter said with a smirk.  
         Lotu’s bronzed face turned a strange shade of purple. She appeared to be holding something in that needed to escape. She let out a long sigh, releasing her tension. Her faced turned to an angry pink, making her appear less like a beet. Finally, she spoke.  
         “How  _dare_  you bring that color to me?” she shrieked.  
         “You don’t like it?” the Batter said with mock offense.  
         “ _Don’t_  play stupid with  _me_ ,” she continued, still raging. “Who put you up to this? 023?”  
         “Why does it matter?” he responded, still smiling. “You should just give up now and we won’t have to worry about anything.”  
         Lotu screeched, grasping one of her tubes of paints. She frowned, baring all of her teeth, and sent two green splotches of paint right at the Batter.  
         “I thought you were almost out of green,” he said, sheilding himself with the cloak.  
         “Shut up!” she bellowed.  
         Much to his dismay, the cloak did nothing to protect him. The paint burned right through it, leaving growing holes in the fabric. The Batter growled and tossed the garment aside. Zacharie was going to get a talking to.  
         Lotu laughed. “Amusing that you thought a simple cape could protect you from my paints.”  
         “Yeah, well, it wasn’t even my idea,” he responded, holding up his bat. “Now, what do you say about just surrendering. It could make things a bit easier for both of us.”  
         “Not a chance,” she chuckled. “Your bat may be gray, but it is still just a bat.”  
         “A bat can do a lot of damage if used right,” he stated.  
         She growled. “Not as much as you wish!” She charged, spinning enough to dodge a swing, and emptied her paint tube on the Batter’s shoulder. He shouted in pain as she skidded to a stop behind him. Quickly brushing off the color eased some of the stinging, but it would leave a scar for sure.  
         “Not that easy when you have actual skin now, is it?” she chuckled.  
         “We’ll see about that,” the Batter said, turning to her. “Furious Homerun!”


	23. Chapter 23

         312 shot awake. Xi’s head pounded as if it was filled with gravel. Xi grasped xi’s head and grimaced. What had happened? Xi looked around, trying to figure it out. Xi sat in front of the kitchen door, trying to recall the events that had just past.  
         Something had hit him. What was it? A face crept back into his mind. That face was from somewhere else and some other time. He’d only got a quick glance, but it was unmistakable. It was the man with the bat! He must be after Lotu!  
Xi stood up quickly, trying to ignore the pain shooting through xi’s head. Xi grimaced, and took off down the hallway at a slow jog. He had to make up to the roof before that evil creature attacked his mistress.  
         The lift was just too slow. 312 found himself pacing back and forth as the machine whirred up the building. Thoughts raced through xi’s head, wondering if Lotu was safe. Had the batter already gotten to her? Xir face grew pale at the thought.  
         The lift door slid open, and 312 gasped. The man was already here! Lotu was fighting desperatly, caught off guard by her attacker. The man with the bat charged at her and swung his bat. It contacted Lotu’s skin, but didn’t seem to do much damage. She grinned at him and he stepped back in surprise.  
         312 was glad she wasn’t hurt badly, but his relief turned into action as she screamed in pain. The color of the bat, that color she hated so much, was actually burning her.  
         “What are you  _doing_?” she cried angrily. “How can this be happening?”  
312 went into overdrive. Xi had to protect xir mistress. Xi raced over, pushing aside the enemy, and stood in front of Lotu, xi’s arms extended.  
         “Leave my mistress alone! She is a good leader and does not deserve to be hurt!”  
Lotu’s chuckle made xir faulter. “Excellent, 312. Thank you,” she said. Xi turned around, hoping to be greeted by a thankful face, but instead she just grinned darkly. “You have come to save me.”  
         The Batter charged again with a roar and 312 felt himself being shoved right into the oncoming attack.  
         “Mistress, w-what are you doing?” xi gasped. No answer came except for a cackle. Xir mistress had betrayed him. “Miss-miss…mistress!” xi screeched. His eyes went dark and he could feel his body heating up. The Batter drew closer with every passing second. “Help me!” xi cried.  
         The bubbling sound in his ears grew louder and xi’s head turned into a dark shape, forming slowly into a growing beast. “Miss…tress…” The liquid oozed from xi’s Burnt head, and xi’s hands turned into shadowy claws. The Batter slowed to a stop, looking up at the beast, but he didn’t faulter. With a single swing of the bat, the unfortunate Burnt Elsen known as 312 was sent flying across the roof. Xi’s head smashed into the guard rail and xi stopped moving.  
         “Miss…tress…” came a faint cry from xi’s mouth. But Lotu didn’t even look at xir. 312 had been abandoned by the one being xi’d thought appreciate xir.  
         “How can you treat those that serve you like objects?” xi heard the Batter cry.  
         “Not too long ago, I think you did the same,” Lotu retorted. The Batter looked down, clenching his jaw in regret. “Am I wrong?”  
         There was only one hope now, 312 realized. If Lotu could be defeated, xi might be able to recover.  
         “Defeat her,” xi whispered as the man charged again. “Defeat the…mistress…”


	24. Chapter 24

         Lotu screeched in anger, but she wasn’t about to give up. With a few leaps she made her way to the roof of the lift. The Batter frowned, watching her.  
         “Just give up now,” she said haughtily. “There’s no way you can beat me.  
         “There’s many ways to beat you,” he replied, readying his bat.  
         Lotu frowned, her face split by the rows of teeth in her jaw. “That mouth is going to get you killed.”  
         The Batter didn’t answer. Instead he shouted “Furious Homerun!”  
         “Not so fast,” the woman said with a grin. With a graceful twirl, she released a tornado of green and sent it spinning toward the Batter. “Color Vortex!”  
         He faltered, halting his attack to step back. The paint splattered all over the roof and he grimaced. It hissed against the concrete like a snake ready to attack. He hesitated for just a moment, but that was all Lotu needed. She sent a stream of green through the air, aimed right at his face.  
         The Batter ducked, but only just. The paint skimmed the top of his hat, burning the button right off. Lotu cackled as he realized what she’d done.  
         “You really shouldn't have done that,” he growled, gripping his bat so tight his knuckles turned white.  
         “Oh? And why is that?” she cooed.  
         With some power that he didn't know he had, the anger in the Batter welled up in him and he shouted at the top of his lungs the name of the attack that had sent so many flying across the ground. She was not going to get the best of him. This was his responsibility, and he was going to fix everything, even if his hat got ruined.  
         “Furious Homerun!”  
         Lotu’s eyes widened in surprise as he flew through the air like an arrow. He connected with his target and sent her flying over the edge. She screeched in anger and shouted something.  
         “This isn't the end, Batter!”  
         “I think it is,” he said confidently. He jumped down from the lift’s roof, wiping his hands on his shirt.   
          _That was easy enough,_  he thought. He went over to 312, who was limp on the ground. Xi’s head had returned to normal, but he appeared to be unconscious. Xi’s head was cut and black liquid dripped from it. With a grunt, the Batter tore a corner off his jersey and applied it to xi’s head, then wrapped it with another strip from the sleeve.  
         The Elsen blinked, xi’s eyes hazy. “Lotu?” xi asked weakly.  
         “Nope, she’s gone,” the Batter explained. “I don’t think she’s coming back.”  
         312’s eyes glistened. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been fooled by her. She has so much sugar. It was so good.” He trailed off, trying to not look at the Batter.  
         “Any Elsen would be enticed by her offerings,” he said, patting xi’s shoulder. “It’s not really your fault.” He stood up and offered a hand to xir. “Let me take you to Zone 0.”


	25. Chapter 25

         A cackle echoed from behind him and a chill ran down the man’s spine.  
         “I told you this wasn’t over.”  
         The Batter swung around, picking his bat back up. What emerged from below the edge of the roof was familiar, but in a strange way. Her body had become the black tentacled creature he’d seen at the mines, but this time, her face was much more snake-like, a frown of disdain from her massive jaw.  
         The Batter was ready. He roared and charged at her, swinging his bat in anger. “I have had enough of you!” he bellowed.  
         “You cannot defeat someone that has the power of Color!” he said with a cackle, slipping sideways.   
         The Batter stumbled, trying to not fall off the roof as she moved away. He regained his footing quickly, and turned to face her. He furrowed his brow, trying to figure out his next move.  
         Paint flew through the air, causing him to return to reality. He rolled out of the way, allowing the toxic liquid to sizzle on the rooftop.  
          _There has to be something,_  he thought. And then, it came to him. Colors!  
         “So, why do you only like green?” he asked.  
         Lotu was surprised at the question. She dropped her arms, eying him, but then spoke.  
         “I like many colors, Mr. Batter Man,” she said. Her tentacle fingers wriggled impatiently. “I have a talent with the colors of the sky, as many as they are.”  
         “How do you feel about the color gray?” the Batter asked with a confident grin.  
         A visible jolt ran through Lotu. She frowned, and her glowing red eyes grew dim. The new set of fangs she seemed to have given her snake-like face shrank in size in an almost comical manner.  
         “What are you talking about?” she asked, putting a dark hand in front of her face.  
         “I was told that gray is your favorite color,” he said with a sneer.  
         “Who told you that?” she demanded angrily.  
         “A little birdy,” he replied.  
         Lotu frowned, her face visably concerned. “No, I hate gray,” she said, stepping back.  
         “I think gray is a nice color,” the Batter said with a frown. He swung his bat to emphasize his point.  
         “Your gray bat doesn’t work. I just proved that,” she growled.  
         “I wasn’t talking about my bat,” he said. “I just really like the color gray. If I could paint this zone gray, that would be simply…” he leaned forward, sporting a winning smile. “…gray-t”  
         “No! Stop talking about it! Your puns don’t make it any better!” she screeched, putting her hands over her ears.  
         “It’s just gray. What’s wrong with that?”  
She shook her head furiously. “Stop talking about it!”  
         “I really like gray. I wish my jersey was gray,” he said, sighing dramatically.  
         Lotu screeched and charged at him. His plan had worked. She was so angry now, she was bound to make a mistake. He stepped aside, allowing her to race past. She teetered on the very edge of the roof and he stepped behind her, not allowing her space to correct her balance.  
         “You’re time is up,” he said darkly. With a single swing, he sent her flying. She disappeared in a puff of gray smoke, vanishing in just the way she’d come to hate.


End file.
